Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 1985)
K l l i l I T T W Hrppnrr ( i i i f l l r T ln in . Ilrppn.r Orrgon M n ln n d ty . I lr ir m h n l|. IMS Sherman Co., Heppner favored in Columbia Basin girls conference "Som ething old. something new. something borrowed and something blue " So goes the old saying at weddings and so say the coaches o! the Columbia Basin. Ihstrict 7 A. as they prepare (or another girls bus krlhall season The " o ld " refers to the favorites, as Sherman County and Heppner are expected to defend their division titles in the West and h a st. respec tively he "n e w “ speaks to the em ergence of new contenders at both ends of the conference, promts ing to provide the CBC with its best balance in years The "b orrow ed ” is the adoption of some college rules, while "b lu e ” is the w ay the coaches feel when thinking about new. strict guidelines for bench behavior by coaches, which may lead to a new definition of "M r T " by the end of the season Both H eppner and Sherm an Cuunly spent most of last season in the top fiv e in the State, and CBC roaches see m ore of the same this year Despite the loss of two key seniors, the Killies of Heppner return a wealth of experience from a club that took down third place in last year 's State tourney Sherman s Huskies return the nut leus of a team that held the No I ranking in the State before succumbing in the District playoffs While Sherman is ext«-« ted to donnnute the West, the hast is not I icing conceded to Heppner Weston- McKwen. Crn.it ilia and Pilot Kin k are all seen as tram s capable of stepping into the breach if the Killies falter In fact, the District 7 coaches see the league as having its best balance ever at the girls level Such balance is seen as a good sign for making the District 7 champion whom ever it may tie an r\ en stronger contender for Stale honors When asked to name the lies! players in the league. 10-15 players, from every team in the league, were mentioned As the coaches are divided on their opinions of the best players, so list are they less than unanimous about some m ajor rule changes in the g irls ’ gam e Both boys and girls have adopted the possession arrow replacing the jump ball That rule has lieen in effect ut the college level for several years Several of the CBC coaches favor the rule, while the rest aren't so sure Typical of those who don't like the alternating possession rule is Weston McKwen coach Iteggie McShane These rule changes make the gam e more like college and pro games, which is bad It takes away some of the incentive for a player to attempt a tie up Making the gam e more like a college gam e takes less talented teams out of the gam e " On the other hand, many couches feel that the possession arrow speeds up the action, which is seen as a plus Another significant change this year is the introduction of a smaller liasketball for the females Again, the coaches are m ixed in their reactions, but the general consensus is that ball handling will improve, while shooting percentages will com e out about the same as in the jxast years In fact, the biggest complaints about the smaller ball O R O W JE S can be heard from boy* loaches. who cringe when they see their players fooling with the girls' ball tine subject of unanimous disep proval was a new code of bench conduct for coaches I ’nder the new rule, a roach may not stand up in front of the bench even to instruct a player The only exception is for "spontaneous reaction to an out standing play “ All a g rre that the rule is a response to an outbreak of official baiting at last year s AAA tournament, and lament the fact that the rule is being universally applied Most coaches echo the senti ments of Hiverside s Dirk Dirksen, who says "When we re standing u p and coaching, they shoutdn t T us 1 hope the officials use common sense " Wahtonka s (Jene Bivens suggested that a coaching box, similar to that used in college games, might heller address the problem Prediction loo k for a sharp increase in the number of spontaneous reactions In general, the goals of most teams are the same "get us to the District tournament and we II take it from there " District 7A teams have historically done very well at the tournament and there Is an added bonus this year The District, the Itegiomil and the state Tournament are all being played at the same site Pendleton s Armory But first things first here s how the league looks to shape up Heppner Kor coach Mike Royer, the biggest opponent all year may be the trophy case at the Heppner High School gym. as Killy fans wonder "what can they do for an encore’’ " Heppner fans have been treated to a third place finish at last year's A basketball tournament and a fifth place spot in this year s A volley ball tourney, but coach Boyer doesn't think the high expectations will bother his team ’ ’These girls are competitors they re working just as hard as ever because they want to get back to the State tourney, says the third year head coach We have to stress that we rem it satisfied, said Royer. " I have to g ive them new challenges, like adding some new plays " The run and gun Killies - 18 -4 last year - return six of their lop eight players from last year, including five who started games at one timer or another la-d by first team All tournament selection l.ana Iteid. the Killies will once again play an up tempo gam e Reid's twin sister Dana is also a returning starter Point guard Missy Turner will lie called on to run the Killies effective fast break, and to key their pressure defense Kronlliners Missy Kubanks und Penny Connor are expected to provide Ixiard strenghl for Heppner Boyer has loaded the pro season schedule logging AAA Heriniston twice. AA Mac III twice, and meet mg league powerhouse Sherman County in a non league match up "I think it will help said Royer, we could be 4 4 in our first 8 games and still tie okay This is u senior dominated squad, and Royer says that they are deter mined to give it one final shot He c a » tv $ 4 5 °°> * jft fl. e Or, u n U U *n P C 33 CB Radio b C , s $59 ¿»Maxigg m> Rackata an la many CSCM 5 $149 «OU \\Tf* *// C* % 'O r * O ff iso. '»s Check our prices on Hi-Tech Cor Speakers Black M ountain Electronics 186 E May cautions that the im mediate goal is to make the District tournament "K rom there, it's whoever » hot.” say s Royer "Our defense is the key to our success If we play it well for four quarters, we can do well " Knowing the Killies, anything's possible Weston McKwen TlgerScot basketball fans were trrated to an unfamiliar sight last year a winning girls basketball team If they liked last year, they may love this year la d by second team all league prrform er Karen Bjorklund t S '»” senior) the girls of second year skipper Reggie McShane are poised to make a big move this year The TigerScots were d e a rly the league s most improved team at y ea r’s end last year, and only the presence of State powers Umatilla and Heppner kept them out of the District tourna men I We fell like we were one of the four best teams last y ea r." say* McShane "Our goal this year is to take it one gam e at a time, and hope to get to the playoffs " One distraction for the girls from Athena W eston may be the schedule They don't play Heppner until the last two weeks of the season, and then meet twice in the last three games which coach McShane feels may work to his team 's disadvan lage as it did last year when Ihe T ig e rS c o ts drew I'm a tilla und Sherman County, had to back McShane would like to see his team run the ball, and feels that he has the personnel to do so "Our team is DIO players deep which helps says McShane "The key to a running gam e is dev elop the team concept and to develop our timing Krom all appearance*, the liming ma tie just right for W M to run right to the head of the pack I'm atilla It may tie a tough art to follow for this year s I'm atilla Vikings, but (kin t start the funeral procession just yet. as the girls of coach John Tomas approach the new season Knthusiasm for Viking liaskethall was at a fever pitch last season, as the girls led by current B M f’C’ standout Jeri Wells roared to Ihe No I spot in the State in the early runnerup Imbler The Vikings finished last season with a gaudy 18 4 record Coach John Thomas thus begins his inaugural seavin with slightly lowered expectations Thomas sets "a 5ou season ” as a realistic goal and offers that his team "Could sneak into the second playoff spot" if Ihe breaks go this way Other coaches are not so pessi mistic. however, noting that Thomas returns an ample supply of talent The Vikings w ill once again tie a big team, with S 'l l " seniors Shirley Kckleberry and Deanna Adams working together with S'S" play maker Tina Hytngton Thom as sees "a ttitu d e and balance" as the keys to his tram 's success He hopes that a good pre season schedule will help bring his tram along He hopes to be able to go 10-11 deep on his bench, and cites that factor as a tram strength Yes. they lost some good talent in I'm atilla. but expect the Vikes to be right in the thick of things as the season goes along Stanfield We were unable to catch up with Tiger Coach Kelly Williams, but were able to learn about his club from other coaches > The Tigers face an uphill battle this year, in a bid to snag one of the two playoff spots in the Kastem Division The Tigers do return some excellent talent, most notably Linda l*orfily and Heather Hummel Both performed well for the Tigers last year, and should be counted on heavily again Most coaches see the Tigers as a sleeper in Kast, sort of ihe "X K actor" in a division of heavy weights Only time will tell if Mr X can mean a rise in the standings Pilot Rock Rockets coach Tim Weinke was also unavailable for comment by press time 1 i Heppner 676-5560 i NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER tjVOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Call the Neighborhood Center if 0 Food Drive Ad you want to help 676 5873 ■ d e s p e r a t e l y n e e d d o n a tio n s of hA laical churches will tie helping Mon IV c 16-SI P a t’s Cathode 1 f ■ dr> (I irm I n iindcrwrtir c anned food coup Hull fa r ia lllo u r millrns toothpaste Donations of ninne) * ill be used to purc'h.i!ie additional item* Drop boxes will be placed at Court Street & Central Markets, all ■ local churches & the Neighborhood ¿•^Center. 1 Deodline is December 12 An tiA and Heppner Nazarene Tues Dec 17 All Saint's Kpiscopal and Hope Yalby Lutheran Wed Dec 18-l'nited Methodist Kirst Christian and United Church of Christ Thurs D e c 19 la-xington Baptist. Christian Life Center, Seventh Day Adventist An hA An hA Center Hours ore Mon. - Fri. 8:30-12:00 & 1:00 5:00 An Th is Ad Sponsored By: the CBC Kast. but the smart money says this don't count out the Rock Sherman County The Huskies are pereniaily tough and last y e a r s 184 record was no exception Sixth year coach Terry Rase berg boasts a deep squad, led by all conference senior Patti Sharp mentioned most frequently by CBC coaches as the league s best player the girls from Morn were the State s top ranked team until first Heppner then I'm atilla knocked them out of the playoffs The schedule, how ever, could have been this team s worst enemy " I don't want to sound likr we re making excuese said Kaseberg. "but because of snow dates we had to play six games in fifteen days at the end of the season We were just drained " The Huskies coach also noted that his team had some serious limitations last year Kaseberg noted that his team larked for good shooters last year and by the second time around the league the other trams had figured out their weekness This year he feels that the Huskies are a belter balanced ball club, able to utilize their size 'Sharp is 5'10‘ s ", Senior lawlie Martin is 5'10" i and also able to score from the outside "W e 'r e ten times quicker than we were last y e a r," said Kaseberg That should make us liettrr equip ped to handle pressing teams like lirppnrr and I'm atilla Kaseberg see* the league as well balanced, and rites District 7A as the best in the State "That ran only help our league at tournament lim e ," says Kaseberg That would be good news for Huskies fans because they'll protiahly be there Riverside Riverside's girls team made their first e v e r appearance in the District tournament last year, and would love to see an instant replay this lim e around le d by 5 6" guard Michelle Mark the Pirates hope to show continued improvement from last year's mark of 9 10 The red headed Mark is the team leader both mentally and physically, and coach Dirk Dirksen hopes she can lead the Pirates up Michelle is a team leader and it carries over to the rest of her team m ates." says Dirksen. whoulso hopes to complement his team with the play of guard Krannie Sharkey We have some good youngsters." says Dirksen. "they should be a big help on the hoards " The Pirates hope to develop into a running team as the season progres ses, but roach Dirksen realizes that it lake time to formulate such an i " .. ■ k The Pirates w ill be tested e a rly . as they play both Heppner and Sherman County in the pre season W hile D irksen con cedes that Sherman County is the favorite, he sees his team with a solid shot at the playoffs We hope to build on last year the expectations of the players are higher adds Dirksen With only one starter missing from last year, there's every reason for optimism in Pirate country Wasco County Wasco County would like nothing more than to return to the glory days of yesteryear, but for now they'd settle for u trip to the District Tournament lake most of the CBC coaches Wasco coach Tony Schack man expects Sherman County to he the class of the Western Division, but he holds out hope that his halldub an qualify as the West's other representative to the playoffs Although only in his second year as head girls coach. Schuckmun is no stranger to Bedside basketball, having served as head hoys coach for 17 years, and having put in another six as assistant girls coach Last year's 8 12 campaign was a disappointment, but even so the Bedsides missed the playoffs "by one point." says Schackman Wasco County returns only one starter and can tie expected to attempt a controlled style of play A . D . S . P ip e Drainage, Culverts, Aireativn 989-8221 Nobody Brings It Home Like HB0/ D O N T M ISS O U T . ( A L L T O D A Y . I sMf m e w Heppner TV, Inc. 676-9663 CHRISTMAS SPECIAL! Week of Dec. 9 - 1 3 SAVE $5.00 ON either HBO or THE DISNEY CHANNEL Connect. Free Disney Doll or HBO FM radio to new connects. TIM E: 7:00 p.m. P L A C E : Morrow Co. Grain Growers Shop D A T E : Thursday, Dec. 19 • Learn five ways to weld with just a few hours practice • Learn easy overhead welding • See unique, new welders • Meet welding experts from Century Mfg Co. • Receive a free gift CENTURY 989-8221 1-800-432-7396 R EG IST ER NOW! CALL c l ip t m ores." states Bivens Bivens is particularly fond of the new ball, citing better ball handling and higher shooting percentages as results of the rule change He expects to see less turnovers than in past years as a result of the new equipment Kor hi* own team Bivens sees the key to success in good free throw shooting and tight defense He can’t count on a very deep bench, so will need to stay out of foul trouble Like most roaches. Bivens expects the West s second playoff spot to be up for grabs He would like to see the Kaglesw claw their way into that second spot "Our goals are to be the ties! sportsmen posxible and to try to reach the 500 le v e l," says Bivens If the second half comes true. Ihe Kagles may get an exten ded season this year and a happy drive up 15 to Pendleton w . k -.^ like the UCLA Bruins whether they have talent in a given year or not. they do have one thing for certain tradition Kor years the loidy Rockets were one of the dominant teams in Mate A liaskethall, and it’s only been in the last two years that they've lieen displaced at the top of the standings In talking to CBC coaches they II all get a little quiet when discussing The Rock ' All agree that the late addition of Rcmi Reeser will lie a big lx lost to the Rockets chances An all Ira g u e p e rfo rm e r last yea r, Reeser mov ed back to the l*R school district several weeks ago boosting Rocket stock in the process At the same time, the Rockets can count on Karen Doherty. another returning veteran o We re not going to try to run says Schackman He doe* see his team with reasonable depth with 8 9 evenly matched players at his dis posal The Bedsides coach is staunchly opposed to the new rule changes i ipposed to the possession arrow Schackman sees the bench rule as addressing p ro b lem s " in the Valley Overall he objects to be the liveralized fouling calls and feels that the rulesmakers are trying to make the high school game too much like the college gam e Inclement weather and the holi day season have put the Bedsides behind schedule for the start of the season We re not ready ." says Schackman we may not win a lot ea rly , but we hope to im prove W e 11 probably be an up and down tram Hopefully for Wasco County, one of the ups will be at Pendleton in March Wahtonka "N o way to go but up probably best summarizes the Wahtonka Kaglex. as they strive to up last year s win total from the five they nalched a year ago Kirst-year coach tim e Riven* is optimistic about his team s chances, and cites the overall attitude of his team We re a very relaxed tram " slates Bivens "I'm very excited atxmt the new year Bivens will rely on point guard K iiii Kaiser 5 5 junior and front liner Dana Krist (5 9 " senior 1 to key an otherwise very young team We ll probably start three sopho The Rockets aren't picked to win & save I
